


Operation: Rescue Klaus

by aceofwhump



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Aftercare, Aftermath of Torture, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e04 Man on the Moon, Fear, First Aid, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus gets the love he deserves, Rescue, What-If, injured, injured klaus hargreeves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 12:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17980925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceofwhump/pseuds/aceofwhump
Summary: What if Diego got Patch’s message just a little bit earlier and makes it to the motel in time to be her backup in s01e04 Man on the Moon?A.K.A.,  I play around with canon events because I needed Klaus to be rescued by a family member and cared for god dammit!!





	Operation: Rescue Klaus

**Author's Note:**

> In which I continue to not know how to make a title and then I whump Klaus and finish with some comfort.

The door to the boxing club flew open and in rushed Diego and Luther, an unconscious Five hanging listlessly in Luther’s large arms. The mannequin Five refused to let go of dangling by his fingers.

“Hey! I’m not you’re answering machine!” Al shouted at Diego as he passed by the first ring but Diego continued to walk on, dismissing Al. He didn’t have the patience right now to deal with Al’s griping.

“Not now, Al.” Diego marched right past the man, Luther trailing along after him, shifting Five in his arms and looking at the man in confusion as he passed by.

“Some detective called for you,” Al said, waving a piece of paper in the air.

Diego stopped in his tracks at the word ‘detective’. There was only one detective that would call him here. No one else had his number. He spun around on his heel and marched over to Al. Al was yelling obscenities at the fighter who had just been knocked to the ground. Diego grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around to face him.

“What detective?” he demanded.

“I don’t know. Said her name was Blotch or something.”

“Patch…,” he whispered to himself. “What did she want?”

“Diego,” Luther interrupted trying to get him back on track. Diego waved him off and urged Al on. If Patch had called him it had to have been important. She wasn’t the type to call just to say hello.

“Said to meet her at that crap motel over on Calhoun.” Al handed Diego the piece of paper he wrote the message on and turned his attention back to his fighters in the ring.

Diego stared the piece of paper in his hands, a smile on his face. “Patch needs my help...” Satisfaction settled in his chest. He knew it. He knew one day Patch would come to him. That one day she’d need his help for a change.

“Diego we don’t have time for this.”

“Just go on ahead. You know where my place is. I’ll be right back.”

Al’s voice interrupted whatever Luther was going to say in response, “Yeah she said something about she found your brother? I don’t know.”

Luther and Diego both looked at each other in confusion as Al went back to the ring, conversation clearly over.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Diego said looking at Five in Luther’s arms.

It clicked for them both at the same time. “Klaus!” they said together.

Diego ran towards the door as Luther shouted after him, “Go! I’ll take care of-” the door slams shut behind Diego, “-Five.”

 

* * *

 

Diego drove to the address on the paper as fast he could without drawing the attention of the cops (he really didn’t need to get pulled over for speeding right now). Klaus was missing. Klaus was gone and no one noticed. _He_ didn’t notice. He tried to convince himself that Patch just came across Klaus holed up in the motel getting high as a kite but the feeling in his gut told him it wasn’t that. Something bad had happened to his brother and _he didn’t fucking notice_. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he stepped on the gas.

As he pulled into the parking lot of the motel, he spotted Patch starting to walk up the steps to the second floor of the motel. A moment later and he might have been too late. He put the car in park and ran out after her. He took the stairs two at a time and caught up behind her as she reached the second room.

“Patch,” he yelled as softly as he could. She startled and whipped around, pulling her gun out of her holster and aiming at his head. Diego raised his arms in surrender, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. It’s me, Eudora.”

Realizing it was just Diego sneaking up behind her she lowered her weapon and scowled at him, “What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that? Where have you been? I got tired of waiting for you.”

“I just got your message. I was busy dealing with something else. Al said you found my brother. How? Why do you think my brother is here?”

“I was investigating an explosion at the Meritech building and there was a van there with the message ‘your brother says hello’ written in the dust on the windshield with a business card for this place sticking out from underneath the wipers. I remembered you saying your brother was missing so I thought I’d check it out. Just in case.”

An explosion at Meritech? A van? Jeezus that was Five’s van. Luther and Diego had just been there looking for Five. Klaus’s kidnappers had been there. Had blown up the building. Had left him a _fucking_ _note_. Guilt and worry ate at him as he nodded, taking everything in, “Fuck. I didn’t...Thanks for calling me.”

Patch looked like she wanted to ask him something but she just nodded, “I thought I could use some back up on this. This motel is bad news and I...I got a bad feeling.”

Any hope Diego had of finding his brother just passed out drunk on the floor of the crummy hotel room turned to ash. He’d long ago learned that if Eudora had a bad feeling, you listened to it. She was rarely wrong. Coupled with his own gut feeling, Diego was itching to get moving. He nodded at Patch to proceed and the two of them started down the dimly lit hall.

The two of them stepped silently down the hall, Diego keeping an ear and eye out for any sign of his brother. He and Patch glanced into the rooms they could, those with the curtains open even an inch and listened for anything suspicious. As they passed one door, a persistent banging caused Diego to stop in his tracks. He trained his ear on it trying to figure out where it coming from. _There_. Two rooms back. It was soft but that was definitely an unnatural banging.

Diego hissed at Patch to hold up and nodded towards the door. He silently crept backwards and leaned an ear against the door. The noise had stopped momentarily and he leaned against the door, listening for the banging to start again. At that moment a cleaning lady came out of the room next door. She startled in fear at the sight of him, dressed all in black with several dozen knives strapped his body, and Patch, badge hanging off her neck and gun in hand. Patch gestured for her to give her her key card and shooed the woman away. She didn’t need to be told twice and took off running down the hall, cart forgotten behind her.

The banging started again. One hard thump followed by a grunt. Diego’s heart dropped as he heard muffled sobbing and groaning followed by another bang coming from inside the motel room. _Klaus!_

He turned to Patch and silently demanded the key card. Patch handed it to him but spoke with a adamant look in her eyes that Diego could only read after years of knowing her. He’d let Patch in first and he would cover her from behind while opening the door. As the one with the badge, she was adamant that she’d be the first one in. Diego was, after all, just a civilian here.

The banging continued, unaware that help was on the other side of the door, but it was growing slower, quieter, as though Klaus was giving up hope of being heard. Diego stepped to the side and took hold of the door handle. He looked at Patch to confirm if she was ready. Patch held her gun up and nodded. She was ready. Diego put the key in the electronic lock and watched the light turn green. He drew a knife and quietly but quickly opened the door.

Patch ran in, gun at the ready, and Diego slipped in behind her. Both stopped short at the sight in front of them. Diego suddenly couldn’t breathe.

Klaus was sitting, duct taped to a chair, sobbing silently with his head laying on the table in front of him. He lifted his head off the table when he saw the door open and, seeing Diego and Patch standing in front of him, started shouting, his cries muffled by the duct tape over his mouth. Diego swore he heard him say his name being cried out by his brother.

All thoughts of the potential danger in the room escaped as he stumbled forward and knelt in front of Klaus. He looked terrible. His hair was messy, his eyeliner was smudged, and his body was drenched in sweat and blood covered his chest. Diego could see blood streaks below his ears, his nose, and on his hairline. His arms were covered in abrasions and burns. He was covered only by a bloody towel wrapped around his waist. Klaus was sobbing, tears gently falling from his frightened, wide eyes and falling onto the towel wrapped around him, mixing in with the blood.

Diego shook himself out of his stupor as his brother, who was quickly beginning to hyperventilate, frantically cried out at him through muffled nonsense. Diego cupped his face and tried to get him to focus on him. He spoke quietly and slowly hoping it would calm him,

“Shhhh. Shhh...It’s okay, Klaus. I got you. Where are the people who took you? Are they here?”

He had to get Klaus to calm down before he alerted his captors to their presence. Thankfully, Klaus took the hint and his cries quieted. He nodded frantically at Diego’s question and gestured with his head to the bathroom mumbling something incomprehensible through the duct tape.

Diego turned back to Patch. He was grateful she was here. He didn’t think to sweep the room for assailants before he had gone straight to Klaus. If he had been alone when he found Klaus there was a very good chance he’d be dead right now. And so would Klaus. But no. Patch was good at her job and she was on high alert at the moment, eyes sweeping the room for danger, only occasionally glancing at Diego as he tried to calm his brother.

Diego caught her eye and indicated to check the bathroom. She nodded and crept forward, slowly, silently.

Diego quickly turned his attention back to Klaus who was still whimpering and groaning through the duct tape. He had to get him out of this chair before anything happened. If this turned into a gun fight he didn’t want his brother stuck to a chair in danger. He changed the grip on his knife and sliced through the duct tape on his left wrist. Klaus groaned as the circulation was restored to his hand, bringing along the tingling pain of returned feeling. He wriggled his fingers trying to get his blood moving and gripped Diego’s sleeve as he cut through the tape on his other wrist.

Once his hands were free, Klaus tried to stand up but he couldn’t even push himself out of the chair by himself, he was so weak. Diego’s heart seized and he leaned forward to grab him by the arms and help him stand, gently guiding him towards the bed.

The door to the bathroom slowly creaked opened and Diego froze. Patch crept forward, gun at the ready while Diego moved to stand in front of Klaus, one arm raised protectively across him while he changed his grip once more so that he was ready to throw his knife at a moment’s notice.

A shot rang out and Patch fired off a few rounds in automatic response.

Diego not so gently shoved his brother to the ground beside the bed, trying to get him out of harm’s way, and let his knife fly. At the last second he curved it to enter the bathroom and a shout told him he’d hit his mark.

“Police! Drop the gun or you’re going down!” Patch shouted.

A hand reached out of the bathroom, holding the gun by the handle and dropped it onto the floor. “I’m coming out. Don’t shoot.” Diego recognized that voice. It belonged to the freak in the cartoon mask who attacked the academy last night. But there were two of them. Where was the woman.

The man walked out cautiously, one hand raised in surrender, the other trying to stem his now bleeding gut from the knife embedded in his stomach.

“Hands behind your head, asshole.”

“Okay. Just don’t shoot.”

The man slowly and carefully got down on his knees and put his hands on his head. Patch walked forward, gun poised.

Diego stood rooted to his spot staying on high alert. If the man was here then the woman wasn’t far away. He kept a protective stance in front of Klaus who was lying curled up on the floor, hands covering his ears and eyes closed tightly shut. Diego looked at the trembling body of his brother and saw red. This bastard attacked his family, kidnapped his brother, tortured him. He pulled out two more knives, prepared to kill the son of a bitch slowly and painfully when movement in the hallway outside caught his eye. He crept forward, a knife in each hand.

“What is it, Diego?” Patch asked, seeing his movement out of the corner of her eye but not daring to take her eyes off the man in front of her.

Diego didn’t answer her. Moving towards the open door one step at a time. He peeked his out of the door and spotted the woman who attacked the academy, her gun raised. He let his knives fly and the woman was on the ground with two knives in her chest before she got anywhere near the door. He stepped out of the room to confirm the hit, rage settling deep in his gut, adrenaline surging through him.

The man Patch was watching, Hazel or Cha-Cha Diego remembered Five saying their names were, saw the opportunity in front of him and reached for his gun on the floor. Before he could fire a shot Patch put two rounds in his chest and he went down.

Diego’s heart stopped at the sound of gunfire coming from inside the motel room and he ran back inside as quick as he could. “Patch!” he shouted.

“Clear!” She responded, stooping to check the man’s pulse. She was safe. _Klaus. Was Klaus alright?!_

“The other one’s in the hall,” he said absentmindedly as he searched for his brother. Patch nodded and went outside to check on it, satisfied that the man on the floor was not going to be moving any time soon.

Diego found Klaus where he left him, shivering and whimpering on the ground beside the bed. His hands covered his ears and the duct tape was still covering his mouth, muffling his whimpers and cries.

Diego knelt down beside him and gently lowered Klaus’s hands from his head. The sudden touch caused Klaus to look up sharply in surprise, eyes wide with fear. Diego’s heart broke and spoke softly, trying to calm him. He slowly and carefully took the duct tape off his mouth. “It’s okay now, Klaus. You’re okay. They’re dead. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

Seeing Diego sparked life into Klaus and he shot up, crashing into Diego who caught him in his arms.Klaus laid his head on his brother’s shoulder and grabbed onto Diego’s coat. Diego was overcome with the urge to crush his brother to his chest but knowing he could be injured he settled for wrapping his arms awkwardly around Klaus and holding him as cried and shook in his arms.

Diego could feel Klaus shaking, small tremors that coursed through his naked body. His shudders turned into small sobs and he sniffled. Diego was at a loss of what to do. He wasn’t any good at this. Comforting someone. That was Mom and Allison. He was never good at it. So he took a page out of his mom’s programming and began to rub small circles on Klaus’s back, being careful to avoid the bruises and abrasions littering his back. It always made him feel better when Mom did it for him as a kid. He hoped it would make Klaus feel better now.

Eventually, Klaus’s sobs subsided and he sighed, leaning away from Diego. He wiped his eyes and made to stand up but he was weak on his feet so Diego held onto to him, picked him up off the dirty motel room floor, and guided him to sit on the bed. He was reminded of the fact that his brother was practically naked as he felt his sweaty flesh when he sat him on the bed. Diego looked around the room for something to cover him up, to keep him warm, and found Klaus’s coat on the floor beside the bed.

He leaned down to pick it up but before his hand touched the fabric, a flicker of light in the vent caught his eye. He peered inside and could see that something was shoved inside the vent. He stripped off the covering, reached inside and pulled out a large briefcase.

Confused he turned to Klaus who was sitting on the bed rubbing his wrists where the duct tape had cut off his circulation and speaking softly to nothing. “Klaus,” Diego asked getting his attention, “Klaus, do you know anything about this?”

Klaus looked at the case in his hands and shook his head.

Diego examined the case and went to open the clasps, curious as to what could be so valuable that they would have hidden it inside the vent. A grunt of pain distracted him before he could press the buttons and he turned to see Klaus trying and failing to pick up his coat and put it on.

“Hey, hey, hey. Whoa. Easy. Let me help,” Diego abandoned the case on the ground and stood up to grab his brother before he fell down trying to put a coat on.

Klaus tried to wave him off, clearly embarrassed at having to need help but Diego ignored him and picked the coat up off the ground. He helped Klaus put his arms in the sleeves and pulled it over his shoulders, pulling it closed around him. Klaus sniffled and avoided Diego’s eyes. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and closed his eyes.

Patch came back into the room at that moment, looking determined, “Diego, I have to go call this in and the only phone I know of is in the office. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She glanced at Klaus who was covered in blood, naked except for a bloody towel and a coat, and had clearly been crying as he stood in the middle of the room swaying slighting on his feet. She turned her gaze back to Diego and spoke, and air of sadness in her words, “I’ll call in an ambulance for your brother too. Is he...is he okay?” she asked quietly.

Diego knew what she really asking but he didn’t want to think about that. Couldn’t think about that. He had no way of knowing right now if those bastards had touched him beyond the clear beating and torture he’d endured. He was still in a towel so Diego hoped that meant they hadn’t done anything to him...down there. He couldn’t be 100 percent sure but why bother covering him in a towel after you’d...well... 

“A little banged up but I don’t think there’s anything serious. Maybe a cracked rib judging by the bruising on his stomach.”

“I’m right here you know,” Klaus said, the first words he’s spoken aloud without the duct tape muffling his words. He was wiping tear tracks from his eyes which caused his eyeliner to smudge even more. Diego smiled sadly at him and ruffled his hair a bit.

Patch smiled knowingly at Diego’s actions. She could tell how worried he was about his brother. Patch was always able to see right through him. “I’ll be right back,” Patch smiled, compassion written on her face, and left.

“I’m not going to a hospital Diego,” Klaus’s voice drew his attention away from Patch’s retreating back. “I’m fine. Right as rain. Never better. Sehr gut,” he said shrugging off Diego’s hands again and making his way to the table by the window. He sniffed and another shiver ran down his spine. He pulled his coat tighter stared, determined, at Diego.

“Well you’ve never been “right as rain”,” Diego said with smirk, “but I think you might be right about not going to the hospital. Too many questions we don’t have answers to or can’t answer. We’ll go back to the academy. Can you walk?”

“Sure, sure. Been doing it for years.”

“Alright, smart ass, I meant can you make it to the car or do I have to carry you?”

“Sure, sure, no problem.”

Klaus stumbled reached out unconsciously for Diego, grabbing his shoulder. Diego caught him, wrapping his arm around Klaus’s waist to hold him up until he was steadier on his feet. Klaus’s shaky hand held tight onto Diego’s shoulder until he felt steadier on his feet. Once the room stopped spinning he relaxed his grip, nodded at Diego, and pushed off Diego moving slowly out the door of the motel room. Slowly, he made his way out the door of the motel room, stumbling and shuffling his way along.

Diego followed, keeping close to Klaus in case he stumbled again, but he stopped after a couple of steps, remembering something important.

“Wait a second,” he called out to Klaus. Turning around, he picked up the briefcase that he had forgotten about on the floor and returned to his brothers side. Klaus looked at him curiously, questioning why he went back into the room. Diego just held up the case in response and placed his other hand on Klaus’s back.

He wasn’t going to leave the case behind. He knew he could find answers to whatever the hell was going on inside it and he wasn’t going to leave it here for the police to take. He’d never see it again if he did. _Sorry Patch. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?_

“Okay, let’s go.”

The two of them very slowly and carefully made their way down the dimly lit hallway and down the stairs to Diego’s car. Diego kept a close eye on his brother the entire way. Any sign of a stumble or a struggle he was right there to lend a hand or to catch him before he fell. When they reached the staircase, Diego had to keep a grip on Klaus’s arm as they proved to be a slight challenge to Klaus and his shaking legs.

They reached Diego’s car after a painstakingly amount of time, Klaus breathing heavily by the end and was clearly exhausted. Diego saw his brother lagging as they reached the bottom of the stairway and wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him close. “Put your arm around my shoulders,” he told Klaus. He’d do it himself but his other hand was occupied by the large, mysterious case.

Klaus hesitated for a moment before putting his around Diego’s shoulder for support. Together they made it to Diego’s car where he propped Klaus up against the side of the car while he circled around to the back of the car, popped the trunk, and placed the briefcase inside, carefully hidden behind a box of junk.

As he walked back to Klaus’s side he allowed himself a moment to feel. He had almost lost his brother. And it would have been his fault. Diego had seen Klaus at his worse, had seen him laying on a hospital bed white as a sheet after having overdosed, but this felt different. While that moment had scared the shit out of him and haunted his nightmares, he knew it wasn’t his fault Klaus had taken one too many pills that night. But this? This he could have prevented. He could have saved him from being taken or found him before the bastards touched him. Instead he was so focused on his own shit he didn’t notice his brother was missing. The guilt would eat at him forever.

Klaus was standing hunched over with his forehead laying on the top of car, arms circled around his stomach. Diego slowly came up behind him and placed a hand on his back. Klaus startled and turned around making Diego hold on to him before he fell down, “Easy. It’s just me. Let’s get you in the car.”

Diego was opening the door of the passenger side when he heard his name echo through the parking lot.

 _Shit. Patch._ He was so focused on getting his brother safely out of the motel he forgot Patch was in the office calling in backup to process the scene.

Patch was running out of the office and towards the car, “Where are you going? I told you to wait for me.”

“Sorry, Eudora,” She scowled at the use of her first name, “I wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye, I swear. Klaus doesn’t want to go to a hospital. I’m taking him home. And no offense but I’d rather not get held up answering a billion questions by the cops.”

Patch opened her mouth to argue but Diego interrupted for she could speak. He knew what he wanted to say but getting the words out proved to be more difficult than he thought, “Listen. I...uh.. Thank you...for everything. If you hadn’t seen that note, hadn’t called me...I don’t know what would have happened to my brother. So thank you.”

Diego could see her anger and frustration deflate as he spoke. She came closer to him and placed her hand gently on his forearm, “I’m just glad we found your brother. Go on. I have to stay and wait for backup to arrive. Try to figure out how I’m going to explain all of this. Go take care of your brother.”

Diego smile gratefully at her, “Thank you, Eudora.”

She dropped her hand and smirked at him, “Don’t call me that.”

 

* * *

 

The drive to the academy was quiet. Klaus hadn’t said one word since Diego helped him into the passenger seat and made sure he was comfortable. As he climbed into the driver’s seat he could see that Klaus was still trembling so he turned the heat up and pointed the vents at him. He turned the car on and pulled out of the parking lot, taking one last look in the rear view mirror at Patch standing in the middle of the dark parking lot watching him pull away.

“Can we forget that incredibly embarrassing moment back there where I sobbed into your jacket?” Klaus’s quiet voice pulled him back to the present.

He chuckled. “Already forgotten.”

“Thank you.”

Diego glanced over at his brother. Klaus had pulled his coat as tightly around him as he could and shrunk himself into it so that his face was partially covered by the collar. He stared out the window watching the world pass by. His arms were crossed over his chest and his long, skinny legs were stretch as far out in front of him as he could get them. The cut above his eye had stopped bleeding, the blood now dried and crusted on his cheek bones, the dark red of it standing out on his white skin.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” Diego spoke softly.

Klaus turned his head in confusion, “Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.” he repeated. “I didn’t get you out of there sooner. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Klaus sat up straighter and placed a hand over his head in fake shock,“Whoa. Did you just say the word ‘sorry’? I’m honored to receive the first ever Diego apology! What an honor!”

“Shut up man I’m trying to be serious.”

“Oh it wasn’t so bad really,” Klaus returned to staring out the window and waved him off. “What’s a beating here and there. A little choking which to be honest i enjoyed a little much for their liking,” he said with a wink. “A little waterboarding to top it all off. That was quite refreshing, actually. Just a day in the life, really.”

“Shit, are you kidding me?” They fucking waterboarded him?! And he was acting like it was nothing.

“Like I said, wasn’t too bad. I’ve had lovers who choked me harder than that,” he winked.

Diego stared at him skeptically, one eyebrow raised, “You are one weird dude, you know that?”

Klaus shrugged, “Actually that stuff was nothing compared to what they did without knowing they were even doing it. Is that the mark of a good torturer or a bad one? I mean I suppose it was effective, i did tell them about that weird eye Five has been carrying around. What’s with that thing anyway. Who carries around a glass eye that isn’t theirs. But it also gave me something to use against them later and it was an...interesting experience. So really how effective was it.”

“What are you talking about, Klaus?” Diego glanced over at Klaus, alarmed by his weird ramblings. Maybe he should have taken him to the hospital...

Klaus was scrunching himself into his coat as if to make himself disappear. He slid down in the seat until he was practically laying on the floor and brought his legs up so that his knees laid against the window and he was almost sitting on his ankles. He pulled the lapels tighter around him and wrapped his arms around his stomach. He made an uncomfortable looking ball.

“Hmm? Oh. Well, they had me for what, 24 hours? More? I lost count really. But that means I haven’t had anything in a day. No drugs, no alcohol. Zip, zilch, nada. Plus they crushed all my pills so I couldn’t take any now anyway. Forced withdrawal isn't as fun as you’d think.”

Klaus laid his head against the car window and spoke again staring at the towel covering his naked legs.

“Then there was the closet they locked me in for a few hours while they went and did...something..I don’t know what. But I was well into withdrawal at that point and let me tell you Diego, the mind does some fucked up things to you when that happens. Brought me back to some not so pleasant memories of father dearest,” Klaus’s eyes got a far away look as he spoke. He was quiet for a moment, lost in his memories.

Soon enough he shook himself out of wherever he’d gone and looked at Diego with a sad smile, “Oh and we can’t forget about the ghosts of their victims all screaming at me because for the first time in who knows how long I’m sober enough to hear it all. You know what it’s like listen to 30 plus dead people tell the story of how they died? Not my idea of a good time.”

Diego didn’t fully understand everything Klaus was talking about but hearing him speak, seeing how affected he was by it, made his stomach churn, “Jeezus, Klaus. I...I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Not your fault. Besides, you came. Didn’t think anyone would notice I was gone to be honest. Told them as much hoping they’d let me go but that clearly didn’t work.”

Diego squeezed the wheel in a death grip and cringed. He hadn’t noticed Klaus was gone. None of them did. They should have noticed, should have checked to make sure he was okay after the attack but they didn’t. If it wasn’t for Patch….Diego didn’t want to think about that. Klaus was safe now.

 “We’ll get back to the house and Pogo will fix you up.”

“Pogo?” Klaus looked at Diego with confusion, “Not mom?”

 _Shit._ Mom was always the one who patched them up after missions. Cuts, bruises, broken bones, you name it she fixed it. She was programmed for it after all. Diego had been on the receiving end of her ministrations more times than he could count. I couldn’t remember how many times he’d cut himself trying to learn how to use his knives

“Klaus. Uh. Mom's…...mom's gone. She...died last night.” _I killed her. I killed her and I almost got you killed._

Klaus stared at Diego in shock. “Mom's dead?” he whispered.

Diego swallowed heavily and nodded. Pain filled him as he remembered severing the wires that made her...her.

“Is...is anyone else…”

“Everyone else is fine. Five ran off before the attack and got himself drunk. Luther and I found him passed out at the library and Luther’s looking after him at my place. Vanya got hit on the head but she’s okay. Allison’s just pissed off. That woman, Cha-Cha? She gave Allison quite the fight.”

Klaus didn’t say another word, just nodded and laid his head back down against the cool glass. The two of stayed silent the rest of the way to the academy. Occasionally Diego would glance at his brother, making sure he was okay, but he didn’t move. Diego assumed he had fallen asleep so he just continued to drive.

 

* * *

 

Diego pulled into the back alley of the academy where the entrance to the kitchen was. This had become his preferred method of entry over the years as there was little chance of running into Dad down there. Any time he needed to come back, he’d come in through this door. Old habits are hard to break. Mom was usually there with a smile and something to eat. She wouldn’t be there this time.

Diego put the car in park and turned off the engine. Klaus was curled up in the ball he had formed himself into early and didn’t move.

“Klaus? Hey, Klaus,” he said gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

“Hmm.” Klaus hummed in response.

“We’re here.”

Klaus picked his head up and untangled himself, stretching out his long limbs. He groaned and winced as the action pulled on his already sore muscles and bruises. Diego exited the car and went around to Klaus’s door. He opened it and reached out to help him out of the car. Klaus knocked his hand away and practically fell out of the car without the support Diego had offered.

“Smooth.”

“Shhh,” he hissed at him as he made his way to the door. Diego quickly grabbed the briefcase out of the trunk and raced after his brother.

Klaus immediately headed for the stairs that led to their rooms.

“Hey, where are you going?” Diego shouted at his retreating back, laying the case on the table.

“Bath. Clothes. Bed,” he said as he went up the steps and disappeared.

Diego let him go while he searched for some first aid supplies. He couldn’t find anything in the cupboards so he made his way to the infirmary section of the house. Unfortunately that was on the other side of the building and it took him about about 15 minutes to get there, gather the supplies he needed, and make his way to Klaus's room. He was hoping he’d find Pogo on the way but he was nowhere to be found. He’d have to do it himself. They hadn’t really been trained in first aid as kids, that was always Mom’s job, but his vigilante gigs had left him with enough cuts and bruises that he knew had to fix up the small stuff.

When he arrived in the hall where their bedrooms were located he saw that the door to the bathroom was open. _ Guess he’s done with his bath then _ . Diego went to Klaus’s room, first aid kit in hand, and entered without knocking. Klaus was shrugging on a baggy v-neck shirt and was already in his skin tight leather pants.

“Hey, no shirt yet. We need to clean those cuts.”

Klaus wiped around, shirt half on, his arms sticking out like chicken wings, “Oh hey Diego. No that’s fine. I’m all good. Cleaned them up during my bubble bath” He pulled his shirt down the rest of the way and began to rustle through his bundles of clothing and junk on the floor in search of something.

“Klaus, come on. They need to be properly cleaned, man. They could get infected.”

“I appreciate the worry but really, I’m fine. Allll good, bro. Aha!” He held a small baggy in the air in triumph.  "I knew you were here somewhere," he said giving the bag of pills a quick kiss before opening  it and pulling out a small white pill. Popping it in his mouth and dry swallowing he sighed, “Ahhh, that’s better.”

“I wasn’t asking. Sit. I couldn’t find Pogo so you’re stuck with me.”

“Ugh, fine.” Klaus sat down on his bed and pulled his shirt off. An emotion Diego couldn’t catch flickered across his face and began to stand up, “You know on second thought maybe I should--.”

“Sit. Down.” Diego not so gently pushed him back on the bed and ripped open one of the pre packaged alcoholic wipes in the first aid kit. He unfolded the small white square and wiped it over the first abrasion he saw.

Klaus yelped and jerked away, “Jeezus, Diego! Warn a guy before you do that! That’s cold!”

“Don’t be such a wuss. Stop moving.”

“‘Don’t be a wuss.” Says the guy afraid of needles…”

Diego cleaned up the worst of the cuts and injuries, covering them in antibiotic cream and finishing with a bandage. Klaus didn’t make any movements other than the occasional wince or flinch when Diego hit a particularly sore spot. Thankfully none of them looked like they needed stitches. That wouldn’t end well for either of them. Each bruise, cut, and burn he treated felt like someone punched him in the stomach. This was the first moment he had to really look at the damage done to Klaus and guilt gnawed at him. If he had just gone to check on him as soon as the attack was over. If he had fucking  _ noticed _ his own brother was missing, Klaus wouldn’t have had to endure what any of it.

“Alright pick your arms up we need to wrap your ribs.” The bruising on Klaus’s stomach was a mottled color of purples and yellows stretching across his ribs. Without touching him he knew that at least one of his ribs was cracked.

Klaus surprisingly obediently raised his arms without as much of a grumble of protest. Diego carefully ran the bandage around his waist tight enough to keep his ribs from moving but not too tight that he wouldn’t be able to breathe. By the time he finished, helped Klaus back into this shirt, and started packing up his supplies, Klaus was yawning.

“Get some sleep, Klaus.”

“Hmm. I’m fine,” Klaus mumbled as he laid down on his bed and promptly passed out, exhausted.

“Sure you are,” Diego said with affection. He threw a blanket over him, turned off the light and went back downstairs to the kitchen.

He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to get rid of his guilt but knowing Klaus was safely tucked into bed upstairs eased the tightness in chest a little. Now he’d focus on why those freaks had taken him in the first place and that briefcase in the kitchen held the answers he sought. He knew it.

He was about to head down to the kitchen when loud voices in the living drew his attention. Five and Luther were screaming at each other over something. When had they gotten to the academy? The shouts continue to raise in volume and Diego sighed. The briefcase would have to wait a moment longer. He should probably step in before Five killed Luther.

Diego walked into the living room, the briefcase forgotten about.

Until the next morning when a certain skinny, drug addicted, treasure seeker open it hoping it had money inside. A blue light engulfed the room, taking Klaus away with it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did I just kill Hazel and Cha-Cha? Who knows? Maybe they weren’t dead and escaped while Patch was talking to Diego. Maybe the Commission brought them back to life and brought them back to corporate. Maybe they really are dead. We’ll never know.


End file.
